Coffee? bad for you?
Don? tell that to David Tieman.
The health aficionado recently launched a line of good-for-you coffee that blends coffee beans with antioxidants.
Rancho Santa Margarita-based Tieman? Fusion Coffees is on the shelves of 65 local Albertson? grocery stores. In its first three months on sale, Tieman said it? been a hit.
?t? been outselling all of the competition by a long shot,?he said.
At about $10 a pound the beans are priced to compete with brands such as Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and Peet? Coffee & Tea, among others.
While Tieman says his coffee is more expensive to make with the added antioxidants, he wants to attract the mainstream market and is willing to sacrifice profits to do it.
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Tieman? Fusion Coffees: on sale at local Albertson? |
Against Tieman? wishes, the beans are being sold in the health food section of Albertson? rather than the coffee aisle.
?opefully that will change if the sales keep up the way they have been,?he said.
Tieman wants the initial sales of about $20,000 a month to bloom into $1 million for the year.
The company is looking for additional funding to help speed the growth. Tieman has rounded up about $400,000 from private investors and is looking to bring in more, ideally from a strategic partner, he said.
Funding from venture capital proved unsuccessful last fall amid the overall economic meltdown, he said.
Tieman, who spent 25 years as a teacher, personal trainer, nutritionist, dietician and preconception specialist, came up with the idea for the coffee after becoming frustrated when clients would quit their diets.
? had to design a product that fit their lifestyles to make them stick to it,?he said.
Tieman created a chemical process that fuses the antioxidants to the coffee bean.
It took about seven months between his initial idea for the coffee and completing the first sale.
The coffee is made in a 450,000-square-foot facility in Santa Fe Springs operated by Edward Apffel Co., which has a small stake in Tieman?.
Wedding Season
It? wedding season, which means busy times for Anaheim-based GBS Inc.
Better known as GBS Linens, the family-run company makes and rents linens, which include tablecloths, napkins and drapes, among other things.
Last year was a ?anner year?of 11% growth for the company, according to President Ashesh Kamdar.
The company, which does an estimated $10 million to $20 million a year in sales, grew sales by getting into new markets.
Expansion into hotels, with customers such as Bethesda, Md.-based Marriott International Inc. and Chicago-based Global Hyatt Corp., has provided a boost.
Some 60% to 70% of its business is in rentals for events and renting out to third party event planners and rental companies such as Classic Party Rentals in El Segundo, a large customer.
It also makes linens for sale from its 57,000-square-foot operation that employs about 100 locally.
Another 75 workers are staffed in smaller operations in Northern California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada.
Southern California makes up about half of its business.
Three years ago the company decided to break into the Dallas and Houston markets after seeing an opportunity with fewer competitors, according to Kamdar.
Since Texas is its fastest growing market, GBS is looking to open up in San Antonio and Austin. Beyond that it? looking at Georgia and Florida.
The company is able to manage its national expansion through new technology. It uses radio frequency to keep track of all its products, according to Kamdar.
?he key to winning contracts in this business is service,?he said. ?here? very little margin for error. We have to be on time, and it all has to match.?
GBS was founded 25 years ago by Kamdar? father-in-law, Pravin Mody, who came from India.
Mody was in business as a shirt launderer before he saw an opportunity in the rental business for linens.
Despite the company? small beginnings, it has aspirations to become a national player. The linen rental industry is mostly made up of regional companies like GBS.
Brown Bag Lawsuit
A local adult toy seller is claiming dirty tricks.
Brown Bag Party in Costa Mesa has filed a lawsuit in California federal court against Loveland, Ohio? Pure Romance Parties Inc., saying Pure Romance wrongfully told potential customers Brown Bag was out of business.
The suit, seeking at least $75,000 in damages, accuses Pure Romance of libel, interference with business, false advertising and unfair competition.
Chief Executive and owner Peter Palmiotto said he found out his competitor allegedly was spreading the rumor by word of mouth.
Brown Bag has revenue of more than $10 million a year. Its business caters to ?omance consultants?who purchase marketing and software access from the company to sell the sex toys through their own Web sites.
Palmiotto, a former marketing manager for a large liquor company, started the business four years ago with his wife, Kimberly.
?usiness has been booming,?he said. ?eople have been looking for extra income. And this is one part of life people don? give up because of the economy.?enews_Column=0
